A broad term used by the medical profession to classify people with some mixture of male and female biological characteristics

Term

Transsexuals

Definition

People whose primary sex characteristics do not match the sex they perceive themselves to be

Term

Secondary Sex Characteristics

Definition

Physical traits not essential to reproduction (such as breast development, quality of voice, distribution of facial and body hair, and skeletal form) that result from the action of so-called male (androgen) and female (estrogen) hormones

Term

Gender

Definition

A social distinction based on culturally conceived and learned ideals about appropriate appearance, behavior, and mental and emotional characteristics for males and females

Term

Masculinity

Definition

The physical, behavioral, and mental and emotional traits believed to be characteristic of males

Term

Masculinity

Definition

The physical, behavioral, and mental and emotional traits believed to be characteristic of males

Term

Femininity

Definition

The physical, behavioral, and mental and emotional traits believed to be characteristic of females

Term

Gender Polarization

Definition

The organizing of social life around male-female ideals, so that people's sex influences every aspect of their life, including how they dress, the time they up in the morning, what they do before they go to bed at night, the social rules they take on, the things they worry about, and even the ways they express emotion and experience sexual attraction

Term

Gender-Schematic

Definition

A term describing decisions that are influenced by a society's polarized definitions of masculinity and femininity rather than by criteria such as self-fulfillment, interest, ability, and personal comfort

Term

Social Emotions

Definition

Internal bodily sensations experienced in relationships with other people

Term

Commercialization of Gender Ideals

Definition

The process of introducing products to the market by using advertising and sales campaigns that draw on socially constructed standards of masculinity and femininity

Term

Structural Constraints

Definition

The established and customary rules, policies, and day-to-day practices that affect a person's life chances

Term

Sexism

Definition

The belief that one sex-and by extension, one gender-is innately superior to another, justifying unequal treatment of the sexes

Term

Structural Constraints

Definition

The established and customary rules, policies, and day-to-day practices that affect a person's life chances

Term

Sexism

Definition

The belief that one sex-and by extension, one gender-is innately superior to another, justifying unequal treatment of the sexes